Re: Topband: Polyphaser IS-50UX-CO vs ICE Model 303?
On Sun Jan 20 01:58:14 2013, Cecil wrote: The polyphasers are good protectors but be aware that they rely on gas tubes for protection and their failure mode is one that leaves you unknowingly unprotected. After so many ionizations the gas tube will fail and won't clamp on the next strike. For a time Polyphaser made a test set to verify the function of the gas tube. We use those at work to test those in use once a year and every year we find a few that have failed. Polyphaser quit selling the test set (FIST4) several years back so one will need to find another way to test themmaybe a meggar. Cecil K5DL 'snip' Topband Reflector Cecil, That's a good point. About a year ago I was having problems with my Steppir..after replacing coax, doing lot's of testing on the Steppir control box I started replacing all items along the path and discovered the PP on the grounded copper board at the base of the tower had gone 'south'... 73 Tom _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Polyphaser IS-50UX-CO vs ICE Model 303?
On 1/20/2013 1:40 AM, cx...@4email.net wrote: I started replacing all items along the path and discovered the PP on the grounded copper board at the base of the tower had gone 'south'... Several points here. First, there is no value to lightning suppression at the base of a tower unless that tower is next to the shack. A lightning suppressor shorts the center conductor to the shield to protect equipment that the coax feeds. It is most effective very near the equipment. Second, lightning protection depends very strongly on proper bonding together of all the equipment and wiring in your home, to each other, and to all earth connections. That means EVERYTHING. Caps for emphasis added. Third, while I have no practical way of knowing when Polyphasers have failed open, I have experienced at least four occasions of Polyphasers failing shorted. On at least two of those occasions the cause of the failure has been very high voltage at the Polyphaser, most recently caused by the 40M element of my 80/40 fan breaking in a windstorm and hitting with legal limit power before I had figured that out. It should be possible to restore the Polyphaser to new condition by replacing the gas tube if a source for the tube (including its spec) can be found. 73, Jim K9YC _ Topband Reflector
Topband: Sensor lamps cure
hi reflectees! i had sensor lamp problems right in my home. The only cure i found for them is using E-Type ferrite chokes. The chokes avoid the internal oscillator energy being fed into the mains, plus they avoid the triggering of the internal switch. I used SIEMENS N27 type E-cores, they are about 4 inches on a side. The functionality of the lamps is not affected whatsoever. Nor do You have to cut any wires, just coil them up in the double E-core. It works from DC to daylight, so to speak. No other commercially available L and C configuration filters gave the immunity to RF that i achieved with the choke. 73 de wolf _ Topband Reflector
Topband: Groth Counter Dial
Does anyone have a Groth counter dial they would like to part with, or does anyone have pieces of one laying around? I have one that has broken. -- 73 Joel W5ZN www.w5zn.org _ Topband Reflector
Re: Topband: Polyphaser IS-50UX-CO vs ICE Model 303?
The polyphasers are good protectors but be aware that they rely on gas tubes for protection and their failure mode is one that leaves you unknowingly unprotected. After so many ionizations the gas tube will fail and won't clamp on the next strike. For a time Polyphaser made a test set to verify the function of the gas tube. We use those at work to test those in use once a year and every year we find a few that have failed. Polyphaser quit selling the test set (FIST4) several years back so one will need to find another way to test themmaybe a meggar. They don't only fail high. They fail low too. One of the more common damage failures in high power amplifiers is running them in systems with lightning protection gas tubes that fire at lower than planned voltage. That can really tear things up if the lightning protection device is the right distance away to reflect the wrong impedance at the amplifier output port. Such devices have limited value anyway. If they let a few kilowatts of energy out, they will let enough back in to tear things up. _ Topband Reflector
